Celebrity brow guru Sania Vucetaj, the founder of Sania's Brow Bar in New York City, shares her secrets for acing bold, beautiful arches at home.
Pluck for precision. Of all the hair-removal methods, Vucetaj prefers tweezing. "By taking out one hair at a time, you achieve the most accurate results," she says. Waxing can burn and stretch your skin, and threading can cause ingrown hairs and redness. Choose a pair of stainless steel slanted tweezers so you can pull out the hair as close to the root as possible. We like the Tweezerman and Isaac Mizrahi Splatter Paint Mini Slant Tweezer ($15, tweezerman.com).
Do it yourself. Shaping your own brows saves you time and money, but it also puts you in control. "No one is more protective of your brows than you are," says Vucetaj, who advises plucking every three weeks.
Fill in first. Before tweezing, trace over your brows. "This will prevent you from removing too many hairs," Vucetaj says. Use an angled brow pencil in a shade that's similar to your hair color (if you have highlights, match the darkest shade). Try the Sania's Brow Bar Angled Mechanical Brow Pencil ($30, saniasbrowbar.com), which has a brush on one end for blending. To locate where your brow should start, find the top of the bridge of your nasal bone. "Many women make the mistake of lining up the front of their brows with their nostrils; doing so makes their brows too short and their features look wide," Vucetaj explains. Draw feathery, quarter-inch strokes to fill in your brows. When you're three-quarters of the way through, create your arch, which should be the highest peak of your brow. To determine the perfect shape, gently lift the skin above each brow so you can get an idea of how dramatic you want your arch to be. Pencil in above your brows to match the lifted look you want. A flattering arch is soft and makes your eye area look open. Line up a pencil with the outer corner of your eye to find where your brows should end.
Stop obsessing. "The number-one mistake women make is scrutinizing their brows," says Vucetaj, who advises putting down the magnifying mirror. "No one sees you that close." To prevent overdoing your brows, she recommends plucking them in a room that has overhead lighting; it's softer than superbright vanity lights or natural light, which expose every hair.
Tweeze with ease. After you've filled in your brows, pick up your tweezers. Pluck any stray hairs that are between your brows. Then, pluck underneath the arch of one brow. After removing only three hairs, move to the other brow. Repeat this process until you've achieved your desired shape. "Remember, less is more — if you have a gap, fill it in with pencil instead of plucking around it to even it out. This will buy you time until your brow grows," Vucetaj says. Next, pluck only those hairs that are clearly above your brow. "These hairs take a long time to grow back, and if you pluck too many, your brows will look flat," she warns. Finally, using a spoolie, brush your brows upward. Try E.L.F. Essential Eyelash & Brow Wand ($1, eyeslipsface.com). If any hairs are too long, trim the tips at an upward angle using flat scissors. We like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Scissors ($23, nordstrom.com).
Dare to go bare. When applying moisturizer, skip your brow area. "The cream weakens the hair follicle and can stunt hair growth and even cause shedding," Vucetaj explains. For an everyday look, lightly pencil in your brows, then brush them upward. If you use too much pencil, remove the excess with a cotton swab.